Motel plan gets a 2nd go-round

Commission tackles issue Thursday

The Hayden Planning Commission on Thursday again will consider approving a site plan for the 60-unit West Minster Motel proposed for the west end of Hayden.

The commission reviewed a version of the plan during its Oct. 14 meeting but postponed a decision because of parking and traffic circulation concerns.

Developer Ron Sills and his project team want to build a three-story motel west of the Wagner Building on the south side of U.S. Highway 40. At the last meeting, architect Roger Burton, who is coordinating the project, said the development team was considering making the motel a national chain but had not settled on a specific one.

Sills' daughter, Starla Sills, owns the motel lot as well as an industrial-zoned lot directly south and two commercial lots to the north. There are no direct plans in the works for the lots, though Burton noted at the last commission meeting a restaurant would be an ideal use of one of the northern lots.

The first site plan indicated the motel would sit on the far west portion of the lot with parking and landscaping filling up the remainder of the lot. Commission members questioned whether there would be adequate parking for semitrailers and vehicles pulling trailers. They also were concerned about traffic circulation within the parking lot.

Slightly different, the new site plan attempts to address those concerns and also includes a more detailed landscape plan, Town Manager Russ Martin said.

Several commission members emphasized the importance of landscaping in easing the visual effects of the building, especially as people drive into Hayden from the west.

Other concerns related to a cul de sac between the motel and northern-most lots. The town's planning consultant, Tim Katers, had suggested the cul de sac be a through road to accommodate future growth in the area.

If the site plan is approved, that issue will be addressed in the subdivision process, which includes provisions for dedicating roads as private or public, Martin said.

Any approval probably will come with a few conditions, including an access permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation for West Minster Drive, a proposed access road off of the highway.

The planned building would exceed the town's 35-foot height limit and would require a 4-foot height variance from the Hayden Board of Adjustment, which plans to review the request tonight. Site plan approval, however, will not be dependent on that decision, Martin said.

Thursday's meeting likely will be the last opportunity for the public to comment about the motel project. If it is approved, the development team will devise a final site plan and work on engineering issues with town staff.

Also on Thursday, Katers will review enforcement procedures related to the town's zoning code, which is being revamped along with the comprehensive plan to prepare for future growth in Hayden.